Genealogy /
What are common Polish character traits? [417]
Like all European countries, we are far more laid back, loving, caring, and overall more open than our American counterparts.
If you follow Polish culture, indulge in it and if you go to sleep at the end of the day thinking of yourself as Polish and wishing Poland well and if you place Poland and Polish interests as first above those of other nations or ethnic groups then you are Polish and nobody else, full stop.
Seems to be a general Slavic thing though - which makes it all the weirder that they're not very good at customer service.
Like I said before, you do not understand Polish character, customer service is sometimes good other times hopeless to rude, this because we bring our true selves to the workforce and no work is pleasant, the customer is a pest, and this is true sometimes as well, a customer is a pest half the time. The current face of customer service is a remnant from communism where boss was absent and people took serving more lightly, worried about low pay who would bother about some customer? In capitalist countries the pay for customer service is low as well, it is even more unpleasant than in Poland (e.g. one is not allowed to even sit on a chair when serving) but in some places the boss strictly requires a false positive facade (smile,chat up the customer, be polite) so the customer comes back and buys goods again = money goes to the pocket of the boss/owner. So in western countries the customer service is falsely pleasant, pleasantness is there so that customer feels welcome and buys goods again and again instead of going to the competition. However, in cases where competition is scarce you see the full face of western hospitality in business, people are rude, and in some countries it does not matter whether competition is great or small, customer service there is just plain arrogant (I experienced the most horrible customer service
not in Poland but in Holland, Belgium, Germany, Italy and few other countries). Also, I may add that if Polish appear less smiling it is not a bad customer service, you don't have to be falsely enthusiastic to be a good customer service person, I enjoy our true Polish customer service, for, we do not show fake emotions like westerners while serving.
Also, you are mixing business hospitality wit social hospitality, there is a difference. You just don't understand Polish people.